


Fallen from grace

by Brick_in_the_wall



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Drama, F/M, Gun Violence, Mystery, Police, Post-Canon, Romance, Slow Romance, Thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-07-03 17:20:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15823464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brick_in_the_wall/pseuds/Brick_in_the_wall
Summary: In the wake of the NightHowler case, Judy and Nick find themselves  face to face with problems old and new. A new drug is derived from the old,  slowly filling a sinister demand. Amidst the chaos and politics, fiends and friends, these two partners must figure out exactly what they can do to save a falling utopia, and what is out of their hands.





	Fallen from grace

**Chapter 1: Twenty Questions**

Nick felt the boredom rise within him. It would have to come out sooner or later. And he'd never been one for postponing. Until relatively recently, he'd never worked an honest day in his life. But by Dog, he'd worked. Always worked. Hustles never ran themselves. They required you being on the mark. Posed at the ready at all times. Early bird got the worm, and all that stuff saps tended to say.

He allowed his head to fall on his shoulder, studying his partner next to him. Keen focus. Radiant eagerness. Nothing less was to be expected from ZPD's finest: Judy Hopps. She seemed unaffected by the droning sound of ceaseless dripping on the top of the car from the overhead stalactite. The tiresome darkness of the Nocturnal District. And the hours… Oh man, the endless hours that had passed and that lay before them still.

And still, she wasn't just determined to do her job right. She was chipper. Happy to be there.

He liked spending time with his partner too. But sitting here in the car, he couldn't help but let his mind wander on all the other things they could be doing. All the other places they could be at this very moment. Why, even in the Nocturnal district alone. It was where Zootropolis' Nightlife truly came to life. Between all the gigantic stalactites and stalagmites one could find some of the best underground hot-spots.

Get it? Underground? Because the entire district was literally underground?

Nick groaned at his own fatigue. He was just so tired; he was losing his funny. And who was he without his funny? Nick Tame, not Nick Wilde.

He'd meant to groan internally, but had apparently failed. The bunny turned to him, briefly, her eyes darting from the nightclub ahead of them, to him, and back again. ' _Vampire_ ', also known as ' _The Batcave_ '… The neon lights flickered on and off, allowing them to see the shady clientele enter and leave the pub from time to time.

“What is it?”

In for a penny, in for a pound. “I'm bored.” He replied with an excessive pout. “Look, our guy ain't showing tonight, what do you say we just go get a drink somewhere and call it a night, hey carrots?”

She smiled knowingly and tossed him her dark blue thermos. It matched her jacket, but not her black pants. The coffee would be old and stale by now.

He undid the cup anyhow and poured himself a few sips. He needed something to get his mind off things. Get it somewhere out of this car. Somehow. By any means. The disgust just might help.

“I meant somewhere else.” He pointed out.

The repetitive sound of a stalactite dripping on the roof of the car. Nothing more. One drip. Another. And another. Nick stared at his coffee, sloshed it around in the cup as he tried to ignore the sound. A few more millennia without moving the car and it would be fully encapsulated into a stalagmite. Then they’d be stuck in there forever. Truth be told, it felt like they ought to have reached that point already.

“Can we at least put on the radio again?”

“It’ll drain the battery.” She replied curtly, shifting her weight and leaning back a bit in her chair. “Can’t risk it.” She turned to him again. “I’ll be sure to bring my Ipod next time. It’s my first stake-out too, you know? Sorry we came so underprepared.”

“My fault as much as yours, Carrots.” He sighed.

He smelled the coffee before working it down and instantly cursed his instincts for doing so. It was bad enough that he was going to taste it. His fine nose, perhaps the finest in the ZPD, didn’t have to suffer as well.

He drank, as she watched.

“You want to talk to officers Trunks and O’Horne?” She asked, decoupling the wired receiver of the built-in radio and offering it to him.

He remembered the Elephant and rhinoceros two blocks away in their apartment, keeping an eye on the back-entrance through a telescope. The car and the apartment had run out of things to say to one-another within the first hour of their shift.

He swallowed and shrugged no. Equally to the taste of the cold coffee as to her offer.

“Oh alright.” She seemed to give in, clacking the receiver back into it’s place. What she gave into, he did not know. Certainly not ditching this place for somewhere else.

“I spy, with my little eye…” She said, peering out into the dark.

“Stalagmite.” He replied, before she could finish.

“How did...”

“It's always stalagmite. That's all there is here except for the underground bars. Which are, come to think of it, hidden amongst the stalagmites.”

She folded her arms. “If you must know, it was stalactite, for your information. I decided to mix things up a little this time.”

He gave her the look.

“Oh alright.” She laughed. “New game then. Twenty questions.”

He continued the look. But she seemed so chipper still. He wondered what her secret was.

“I'll go first, yeah?” She offered.

“Gazelle.” He said, unimpressed.

Her jaw dropped at that one; revealing her large rabbit teeth. He'd have told her the expression was actually quite cute. But an embarrassing trip to her family in Bunnyburrow refrained him from doing that. He'd learned the hard way that she wasn't kidding; only a bunny could call another bunny cute. He could still remember the 275 pairs of eyes in their utter shock. It was a lot less endearing than this.

“Why would you choose anyone else?” He answered the question she'd been to stunned to ask. “Besides, I know you too well.”

“Alright, smartass.” She smiled. “Then let's play a different kind of twenty questions.”

“Done.”

“You haven't even heard me explain the game yet.”

“Anything.” He wailed dramatically, to a point that even he had to tell himself to turn it down a peg. “Anything to get my mind off of things.”

“Alright. If you are so sure you know me that well. You get to ask me a question; any question. And I'll answer it honestly.”

“Doesn't sound much like a game yet.”

“But in return… In return; I get to ask you to do something for me. And you have to promise to do it.”

“Hmm… What's this thing you need me to do?”

“Oh no no no.” She wagged her little paw in defiance. “You don't get to know that; just like I don't get to know what you're going to ask in return. Do you accept the terms?”

He tried not to let it show, but he was fascinated. He shifted his weight from his tail and leaned against the window of the old car. “What would I need to ask you? I know who you are, partner.”

It didn't work. He could tell; she knew she had him. “But you don't know who I've been. We've known eachother for a few months now Nick. I've told you a lot about me, as you have told me a lot about you; but not everything.” Her eyes were mischievous. They held promises. Promises of hidden secrets. Of embarrassing reveals. Of a whole world of Judy that he could get to know.

And he wanted to know.

How he wanted to know.

“How does the 'twenty' factor into this?” He averted her gaze, forfeiting his show.

“We can play it ten times. Only ever ten times. What do you say Nick?” She asked, her voice sweet like honey. “Think of what you could find out.”

“And what you could make me do in return.” He laughed. “Okay Carrots. You're good.” He admitted. “One condition though.”

“What's that?”

“We take turns in deciding when we play the game. You chose tonight for the first round. I choose next time, for the next round. And then it's back to you.”

“But once a round is called...” She agreed. “The other may not back out.”

“Under no circumstances.” He grinned. “This is a dangerous game you're playing, officer Hopps.”

She moved in closer, her snout almost pressed against his. “Are you going to talk all night, officer Wilde?” She challenged. “Or are you going to ask me a question?”

She held out her eager paw.

He met it with his own. “Deal.”

“Alright.” She said, leaning back against her door. He retreated to his. “Let's hear it then.”

He mulled it over for a few seconds. A million questions raced to his mind. From embarrassing ones to philosophical ones. Questions that would be under any other circumstance, and perhaps even this one, inappropriate to ask. Questions of utmost importance. Questions that would simply annoy her.

A million questions. And yet he couldn't choose the one.

Waiting for him, she turned her gaze back to the nightclub, a coy smile on her face, and one eye on the price. Always on the price.

But what could he ask her? If he went in hard, he'd get it thrown back in his face just as hard. If he asked what her most embarrassing moment ever was… She could ask him to relive it. She could send him into the police station wearing a dress. Could get him to pick up the coffee-tab for the rest of their partnership. He could exploit this… But at what price? Then again… He could retaliate at any moment; force a round in front of the chief to get her to say something embarrassing. Boy… This could turn ugly quick.

“Alright.” He said, straightening in his chair and turning to the club. From the corner of his eyes, he could see her watching him. “Why are we here? In your most clear and full answer, please.”

She squinted. Somewhat surprised. “What's this, Nick?” She asked, unsure. “Are you pulling some kind of hustle?”

“No hustle.” He assured her. “I don't need to know about your childhood crush on Kit Hareïngton and the time you got so drunk you were lost in the woods for four days. Or what your darkest secret is. Or whatever. I think I prefer to use them for what matters. And remember, I still have nine questions left.” He folded his arms. “And I get to choose when I get to ask the next one.”

Her nose twitched, he could tell. “You're still giving me the advantage here; I have ten favors. Are you sure you want to waste one like this?”

“I don't see it as wasting it. And if you think you can draw first blood… Well, I'll believe it when I see it.”

“You always underestimate me, Nick. That's your downfall.”

“And if I really don't find another good reason to use my question; I can always still ask what your darkest, dirtiest secret is, later.” He challenged, enjoying himself. “So tell me, Carrots...”Why are we here?”

“You mean, like, philosophically?”

He snorted. “No. Not like that. Why are _we_ here? You and me? Here?”

“Well...” She seemed lost, somehow. “It's our job to...”

“No. No. No. No.” He halted her, his finger close to her mouth, hovering there for just a moment. “I know you are a workaholic, busy-bunny. That's the easy answer. That's not what I meant. This is Zootropolis, Fluff. And there's a million other cases we could be working on. Cases in which we could follow leads. Track down the bad guys. Go on the hunt. Do something a little more...”

“Exciting?” She asked.

“Predatory.” He chose the word deliberately.

“I'm a bunny, Nick.”She reminded him, laughingly.

“With a killer instinct that's just so, not-prey-like… Honestly, Judy, it's one of your finest, be it one of the more unappreciated, traits.” He gestured to the car around them as she tried to see through him with those big peepers of hers. “So why… Volunteer, for this?”

He recalled the meeting.

_Chief Bogo was presiding then. As usual. But the atmosphere was different that day. There had been rumors. Rumors going around for weeks now. An unspoken, ugly truth that had been slumbering beneath the city. It was now awakening; slowly at first but they all felt it coming up. It was strange and unprecedented how how cautious Zootropolis' media had been up to that point. All were eager to report anything about the new cases, but kept speculation to an absolute minimum. None could afford another lawcase after the fiasco that had been their reporting on the Nighthowler business. None could catch that flack so soon again. But slowly or quickly, the behemoth was rising. And every cop in that room felt it. That morning, it would open it's eyes and all denial would be a thing of the past._

_The lab-rats, quite literally rats working in the lab, had come up with their diagnoses, after being called into the investigation. Their conclusion: unmistakable. The one thread tying together all of the vague testimonies off all those poor women; a derivative of the Nighthowler drug. It confirmed the rumours that had swirled in the underbelly of Zootropolis._

_The lab-rats couldn't make a perfect rendition from the traces left in the victims' bloodstreams. The exact chemical formation of the compound remained a mystery, Bogo had declared. So finding an antidote would be challenging. But it being a short-term effect, rather than the original; an application of such a remedy would be hard to fit in any case. This new drug had clearly been manufactured and altered by someone brilliant, but that hardly mattered._

_What mattered was what it did._

_Bogo listed the effects._

_Decreased brain-activity apart from a hyper-stimulated cerebellum._

_Increased libido, trading off with a loss of higher reasoning._

_Rise in body temperature. Dehydration._

_These effects themselves typically lasted no longer than 12 hours. The lasting effect on the brain, the boys down in the lab had predicted, seemed to be no worse than a heavy night of drinking._

_But then there also was the retrograde amnesia. Not the single witness could give a clear account of the nights they’d been targeted._

_The morning after, if one could remember bits and pieces, between the devastating headaches, swirling in a sanguine sea of memory and fantasy; that was all one could get. And perhaps, seeing as what it was used for… that was for the best, for the most part._

_Most of the women had probably woken up, unsure that something had been wrong, to begin with. Perhaps as the days had gone by, fragments had recollected themselves. Formed just enough of the awful picture, to get them worried. What had first seemed like a blacked out night with nothing worse than way too much to drink and a hangover to show for it. And then what would be there to face those shady recollections? A big barrel of doubt. Perhaps some misplaced and unjustified shame. A void. Denial. Self-loathing. Anger. And sometimes, but not always, more anger aimed at the transgressor rather than themselves. There was a specific courage one could draw from that. The ones who made it that far… The ones that had found that specific bravery. Those were the ones they heard of. Some of the ones, at least. They'd managed to find a trace of the toxin in about twenty of them so far. About twenty women had come forth. All from different races and kinds, predator and prey alike. Twenty... Nick didn't want to think about all the ones that hadn't._

_It seemed like the new drug, which Bogo had taken to calling Howl-Night, as initial reports from their informants on the streets had dubbed it as such, could be used on any mammal._

_Howl-Night. The name left a rotten taste in Nick’s mouth. ‘Good for one Night of Howling Pleasure.’ It lowered the inhibitions, geared the mind solely to mating, turned the body into heat and cranked the entire process up to eleven; making it that anyone from the same species and the opposite gender seemed like a proper mate. Initial eye-reports and camera-feedback had shown that any sense of self-preservation or modesty was thrown out of the window; turning the victim into a despairing mess begging the nearest fellow member of the species; going so far as to hound them and assault them themselves out of synthesized need and lust, should they refuse. In one case in the Pussycat Club, which Bogo showed on the monitor, a camera had even picked up an extra embarrassing scene. A cheetah, with no other cheetah's in the room, had been suspected of being accidentally exposed to the compound. Most likely the offender had missed its target. Or perhaps, it had been a test. It was impossible to tell. Yet Nick saw what it had wrought; the young lady turned, without sense and reservation, and driven mad by hormones, clamped any male she could get her hands on. Wolves, hippo's, horses, … Without a 'suitable' mate… It didn't even matter that it wasn’t the same species. They all moved themselves apart from her and her crazed desire, nothing had happened in that case… The perp clearly had no interest in the cheetah in heat. And like respectable citizens the rest had tried to help her. Even as her cries became more primal and her behaviour more shameful. The nightmare of her uncouth and  humiliating behaviour would haunt the poor woman for the rest of her life. Nick was certain the images would haunt him too._

_The bullpen had remained silent after that. And it had fallen to the chief to once again rally his troops behind a single goal; and get them to move forward._

_With gravitas in his voice he informed them how little they knew. But that what they knew, they'd learned from O'Horne and Trunks. He thanked them for their efforts so far and put Trunks officially in charge of the investigation. However… Even leads were scarce. The drug: No one knew who could get it. No one could tell who made it. Nor where it was distributed.  Clientele seemed limited; implying a laborious production. And they remained silent too. Implying that the supplier chose not only the wealthy, but also the, for a lack of a better word for it, ‘trustworthy’ potential customers. This would mean the manufacturer would be hard to track down, but if they did, they might just take this entire thing down before it got any worse. They had to find the source, while it was still limited to probably one manufacturer, and tear it out by the roots._

_The working hypothesis was that the way ZPD had cracked down on the production and transportation of Midnicampum Holicithias, more commonly known as the Night Howler flower, was at least a partial explanation why production seemed so arduous and limited. In the last few months Night Howlers had been raised from a class C botanical to a class D. Elevating it further up to class E, making it effectively an illegal substance to have, in any case, therefore seemed natural. And Bogo assured he’d already made the report and would file it the same afternoon, suggesting just that. Even so, it could take weeks or months to get it into effect. And even then; production of the drug would at best only be crippled; not halted. The press would be all over that. Bogo hadn't looked forward to the press release later that day. It was at times like these that he missed Lionheart, the chief had confided to Nick at the boiler, later that day. The old mayor had been two-thirds a crook himself, but at least the man could talk._

_Safe to say, Bogo would not be going into depth into their lack of leads. If the public caught wind of that; there’d be riots in the street. In fact: The only true lead they'd had, revealed to the bullpen earlier that morning, was Comoro Livingstone, a large fruit bat in service to the Golden Crown, a crime syndicate made up of the winged creeps. The rumour on the street went around, quite pressingly, that if you wanted a supply of Night Howlers, Livingstone was your guy. And if they couldn’t get to the manufacturer through the customer, because they couldn’t get to the customer through the victim, Bogo reasoned, perhaps they could get there through his supplier._

_Problem was, this enforcer was a ghost. He had no address. He often only appeared when the Don summoned him. And there was no way to get him in Don Ace Rodon’s compound. Most likely the sudden rise in the popularity of the product had made the Don extra careful in protecting his lieutenant. However there was one place he still frequented. ‘The Vampire’, Livingstone’s own shady night-club. He had to pop in from time to time, to keep everything running and in order. To show he was the boss and to collect the earnings. Perhaps even to oversee the actual harvesting of the flowers. It was, after all, not unthinkable that the place doubled as a greenhouse now. Or perhaps he just needed to go there and blow off some steam from time to time. It hardly mattered; what was important was that he went there._

_But maybe not tonight. Or was it this morning? It was hard to keep track of time. Nick was so tired he couldn’t even calculate if it was light out, up above the surface, or not._

_When Bogo had asked for volunteers, Judy hadn’t just been as eager as ever. She’d actually seemed more driven than ever before; radiating an intensity her partner felt that could scourge this side of the world._

He regarded her now.

“You don’t think this is a case worth handling?” She asked him, coldly.

“You’re deflecting.” He told her. Usually he enjoyed teaching her the subtle tells people exhibited when they portrayed and defended themselves. As a hustler, he’d had to learn: reading people was how you played them. If you couldn’t play them; you didn’t eat. Nowadays that he was a cop, he found this craft just as indispensable. And Judy had the gift too, though she still had much to learn. Usually, he enjoyed this. Right now, he wanted to listen. “You know I find this case extremely important.  I want to hear why you volunteered us right away however. We had our case already, and there were plenty of other volunteers for this one.”

“The museum-case? Oh, please we already cracked that one. It’s obvious madame Guinea stole the sabretooth tooth herself for the insurance and the price on the black market. It’s just a matter of hunting down the last shred of evidence.”

“Which you love doing.” He interrupted.

“Officers Antilles and Raufmann are more than capable of handling that one.”

“They are more than capable of sitting in a car and waiting for the lead to come to them, rather than chasing it themselves, too.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say.” She folded her arms, getting slightly annoyed. “You have good eye-sight in the dark. This is the Nocturnal district. We’re perfect for this job.”

“True. True.” He conceded. “But it’s not all, is it?”

“Fine. I guess it’s also because I’m a woman. I don’t expect you to understand this, Nick. But I’m a minority within the force. And when I see a case like this… With all those poor women being used and then discarded like filth… Drugged and taken advantage of… I feel like it’s my duty, not just as a cop, but also as a woman, to do what I can to put an end to it.”

“I understand. I figured that would be part of it too. This case sickens me to my stomach. … I can’t even imagine how it must be for you.”

Something in his tone of voice must have encouraged her to open up. “But it’s only a part.” She guessed right. “It’s not what you were getting at.”

“I want full honesty on this.” He nodded. “It’s the night howlers.”

“Yeah.” She agreed. “Yes. I know what you mean.”

“I just want to make sure you know. This isn’t your fault. You are not responsible for any of this.”

“I know that.” She agreed. “I know there is no good reason to feel like we have to be the ones to take this case down, just because it’s the night howlers again.” She looked down at her feet. He made sure to keep an eye on the night-club now. “But you’re right Nick. I do. I keep thinking; what if we missed something? What if we let something slide that allowed all of this to continue?”

“Fluff.” He said. “Hey, fluff, look at me.” She did as he bid. “It’s not your fault.” He repeated himself. “Read my lips, you dumb bunny.” He smiled comfortingly. “It. Is. Not. Your. Fault.”

She returned his smile, but doubtfully. “That’s what those women should have heard. The first thing that they should have heard, the morning after. When they woke and their head swirled in doubt and pain.” She wiped the tears away, which had gathered in the corners of her eyes.

Emotional bunnies… He turned his attention fully to ‘ _The Vampir_ e’, to spare her the pity.

“Thanks Nick.” She spoke, her voice recovering. “Can’t believe you used one of your ten questions for that.”

“Yeah well…” He sighed. “Feel free to tell me about the dumbest thing you’ve ever done drunk, out of your own accord.”

She snorted at his comment as she reached for her bag in the back-seat. Looking through it, searching for something, she answered. “I do have something for you though. Remember how my mother came to visit two days ago.”

“Yeah, I recall.”

She produced a paper bag. He could already smell it from where he was seated.

“I know you like these.” She said. “I asked her to bring them for you specifically.”

“Blueberries.” He confirmed happily as he accepted the bag. Opening it, he was greeted by the familiar, blue sight. “Why didn’t you pop these out earlier, could have made the entire wait a lot more fun.” He made a grab at the berries and shoved a couple in his mouth. “Open up.” He said, holding one more, ready to throw it. She caught it masterfully too. “Thanks. And thank your mom for me too, next time you speak to her. Your parents really have the best.

“Oh you know…” She replied, chewing on the berry. “I didn’t want you to feel pressured into sharing them with me… Besides…” She added.

His ears perked. “Besides, what?”

She fidgeted with her paws. “I was kind of keeping them as a peace-offering, for the thing I need to ask of you.”

A berry, mid-way to his mouth, was dropped back into the bag. He could tell she couldn’t stare him in the eyes anymore. Even beneath that fur, a blush crept across her cheeks.

“Carrots…” He said, semi-sternly, semi-amused. “What did you do?”

“Nothing!” She assured him. “Nothing. I just… I need you for something. You’re the only one who can do this for me. But…”

“But what?”

“Oh my gosh, this is so embarrassing.” She tugged at her ears, in front of her chest.

“Can’t be that bad?” He picked up the berry again

“Before I can ask it of you, I need to ask you a different question.”

“Hm?”

“You’re not seeing anyone right now, are you?”

The berry went splat between the toes of his paw.

“Wha-what… Why…” He stammered. It was an unusual experience, being caught off guard. “Why do you ask, Judy?”

“Oh man, this is so embarrassing.” She laughed nervously. “I can’t believe I’m going to ask you this.” She buried her face in her paws. “You’re not, right?”

“What’s this for? Why do you need to know?”

“I can’t ask you, if you have someone.” She moaned to herself, cursing herself for being in this situation.

He put down the bag, unsure of what to do. “Carrots, I don’t…”

“You’re not, are you?” She squeaked.

“I’m. I… I’m not.” He said. “Carrots? Hey Carrots, look at me?” He smiled nervously when she did. Her eyes quivered. “What do you need me to be single for?”

“A date.” She croaked. “Candle-light dinner. Movie. Flowers. The whole shebang.”

He sat back in his chair, unsure how to respond.

“I’m sorry, but you did promise.” She added feebly. “You see, I was talking with my mom, when she came over.”

“Right…” He said, a tad unsure.

“And she told we about this guy I know from back when we were kids.”

“A childhood friend of yours?”

“More like a childhood-bully. Who happened to be a fox. But he’s a really nice guy now, works with my parents from time to time. Has a bakery in Bunnyburrow, and he was going to set up shop here, in Zootropolis central. A second location.”

“I don’t quite follow, Judy.”

“Well he was going to come here. And leave his bakery at home in the hands of his cousin. But then two weeks ago he goes ahead and has a car-accident. Broke both of his legs, nothing permanent mind you. So now he needs to get some extra help, stay at the location back in Bunnyburrow, and his cousin has to move here to take over the shop. She doesn’t want to stay there anyway because she broke up with her boyfriend about a month ago. So they agreed she’ll be staying here for the first 6 months for sure. In a few weeks time Gideon, her cousin, will come over if she needs him to. But she has to open shop after this weekend. So she’s arriving tomorrow.”

His mind raced, trying to keep track of her story. “You want me to go on a date, with a female fox. This being the cousin of your old bully?”

“You promised.” She returned, even softer than before. He feared she might tear of her ears by the way she was tugging them downward. “I’m sorry Nick! It’s just that my mom was spinning this sad story. And I remember how lonely I was in this city until we became friends. You come here from Bunnyburrow; You don’t know anybody and you need to start from scratch. And my mom was kind of worried about her, made her sound like such a nice girl. And I was like, ‘ _Oh I know a fox she might like!_ ’” To her credit, she made her past self sound like a bloated idiot. “And my mom and I talk about it and then talk becomes a promise I’ll ask. But by then my mom had already talked to her and had promised her because she was certain it’d be a sure thing. And then suddenly, I’m there, in my apartment lying awake at night worried about how I can get you to say yes. Goh, I can be so stupid!”

He laughed, hoping it didn’t sound to bitter. “Yeah, dumb bunny.” He sighed, scratching behind his ear.

“So you’ll do it?” She asked. “I talked to her on the phone. She sounds nice. Oh, I have a picture. I’ll send you the picture!”

At once Judy pulled out her phone and got cracking.

“Yeah sure.” He said, absentmindedly. “I’ll give her a call.”

He reached for his phone without thinking, as it went off, and opened the message. It was a stunning creature. With a sharp snout, shining, red fur. Pointy ears and echanting eyes. And her smile. Coy and inviting. She was a pretty one, there was no doubt. The contact information followed soon thereafter.

But for some reason, his heart did not leap. He stared at the picture, but only because he didn’t know where else to look. “I’ll give her a call.” He mumbled, half a world away.

“Ah great, thank you Nick!” The bunny next to him said, relieved. She flung her arms around his left. “I’m so glad you’ll do this for me. I felt so stupid the moment my mom sent me her contact information the other day and I realized what I’d done. Besides: She’s pretty, right? Is she your type, at least?”

He turned and looked into her eyes. Still they were awash with a stinging shame, but there was hope there now too.

“Real pretty.” He managed after a few seconds.

“It’s not too much of a bother?”

He didn’t quite understand why he was feeling this wretched. Though he couldn’t help but notice it wasn’t bothering her.

“No.” He said.

“You hate this, I can tell.”

Her nose twitched. He knew that twitch. She was worried. She was about to panick again.

He had no choice. He had to turn on the charm.

“No.” He smiled devilishly. “Me and… What’s her name?”

“Rey.” She answered. “Rey Nard.”

“Reyyyyy.” He allowed his voice to simmer on the name. “Me an Rey are going to have a great time. I’ll give her the Zootropolis welcome of a lifetime. And I promise you.” He said, wriggling his arm free. “If she won’t fall for the city, she will fall for me.” He winked confidentially.

This seemed to relax her somewhat.

“Alright.” She sighed, relieved. “Thank you Nick.”

“Thank you.” He added, for good measure. “Blueberry?” He asked, offering one from the bag he’d collected. She waved him off politely, simply happy the ordeal was over with.

He spent the rest of their shift stuffing the berries in his mouth, without tasting them. His mind was somewhere else. And he didn’t say another word. He hadn’t a clue of how to feel. Let alone what to say.

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 1 of a potential story.  
> Let me know if you liked it. I would like to continue, but I'm also writing a few stories on a different site, that I want to finish.  
> If this is worth your time, let me know. Otherwise, it might not be worth mine.
> 
> This is also the first story I've posted here. Still getting used to the formatting. If I've done anything wrong, let me know.
> 
> PS. I strive to improve. Let me have your honest thoughts. No need to fear hurting my feelings.


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